These days keeping your software updated is becoming more and more important because of possible security risks. Although we will never claim Kodi will become risk free when you are using it, we will certainly try to improve security and reduce possible risks in each version we release. This not only involves the core code of which Kodi is build but also all the external code libraries we use to make it a functional program. As such it is quite important that when possible you try to update Kodi to the most recent released final version.

We encourage everyone to regularly visit our https://kodi.tv website to check if there’s any news or updates available. To aid in this we included a notification dialog to tell there’s a new version available. Be sure to also read our news section.

What Kodi version am I using?

To find out which version of Kodi you are currently using is actually quite simple. Each time you start Kodi it will briefly show a splash screen image on which it says what version you are currently running. However, since this usually only shows up quite briefly it you might not have enough time to be able to read it. Another option is to navigate to the settings screen.

In case you have Kodi installed from Google Play Store you should usually get the latest available and compatible version that we support. If this is not the case Play store also offers a check for updates option somewhere in it’s menu. For people who are using Windows 10 and have installed Kodi from the Microsoft Store applies the same. Once we publish a new version you should automatically receive that a few days after. As well as Play Store there’s a check for updates button to make sure you are up-to-date. For the people who are not using the above methods will have to get the latest update manually by visiting our https://kodi.tv website and click on the “download” button and follow the steps presented.

For those who are using Android and are not using the Play Store we have made a special Kodi add-on from which you can install a newer Kodi version with the click of a button. It’s called “Kodi Android Installer” and can be found from our official repository under programs.

How can i update my add-ons?

In normal cases Kodi itself will contact the main repository server on regular basis to see if there are some updates available for the add-ons you have installed or update the list which are available. In some rare cases it might not see there are new updates and you may need to trigger a manual check. The other case might be that you know the add-on developers issued an update and you can’t wait till you receive it on next server check. For these situations we made a button available in de add-on manager sidebar to check if there are any updates available. Here’s how you get that done.

First you navigate to the add-on menu button and select it.

Once you have entered the main add-on section you will have to go down to my-addons item or up to the box icon and select it.

Once you have done that you need to press left to get the sidebar visible. Now that the sidebar has appeared you can see when the last update check was performed on this system. To trigger the check again you can navigate down toward the “Check for updates” button and select it.

Once you have done that Kodi will try to contact the server and get an updated add-on list. Depending on the setting you have it will automatically install the newest available version.

The following wiki page has a more detailed explanation how that section works: add-on manager. If you have any problems with an add-on coming from our official repository you can find out how to report on https://kodi.tv/addons and click the forum button when available. If it’s not there please search the official forum manually.

If you update or not is of course you to decide thought it’s certainly highly encouraged.

Do note that the screenshots used above are while using the default Estuary skin. If you have installed any other skin the steps might be slightly different.

Okay, to be specific (and perhaps a touch less alarmist), the power supplies on cheap, untested devices are often a bit on the dreadful side, and that’s where a risk of things bursting into flames resides. Beyond that, we assure you that the Kodi software remains friendly, docile, free-range, and free of any killer instinct. We could bore you with other tales of devices that report fake RAM size and heatsinks that rattle inside the case, but that would distract from the point of this blog post.

Our issue with the current wave of articles is not the shock-horror, click-bait headlines, but the choice of images used. Instead of showing one of the many thousands of generic black boxes sold without the legally required CE/UL marks, the media mainly chose to depict a legitimate Rasbperry Pi clothed in a very familiar Kodi case. The Pis originate from Cambridge, UK, and have been rigorously certified. The case is from a good friend and partner of ours, FLIRC, in sunny California, USA. It’s a combination that’s as safe and unlikely to burn down your house as any Kodi device can be (indeed, neither even comes with the sort of dangerous power supplies that are in question here). We’re also super-huge fans of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, and the proceeds of Pi board sales fund the awesome work they do to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education in schools. The Kodi FLIRC case has also been a hit with our Raspberry Pi users and sales contribute towards the cost of events like Kodi DevCon.

It’s insulting, and potentially harmful, to see two successful (and safe) products being wrongly presented for the sake of a headline.

In related news, you may be aware of issues in the piracy community that drives the sales of these devices. There are a number of legal actions underway, and we regularly read news of large numbers of pirate add-on developers and repo operators fleeing from these legal issues. We still see strong downloads from kodi.tv: interestingly, there’s also an increase in the rate of user churn, which is probably linked to the above and our discontinuation of support for the older versions of Android that many of these devices run. This does not concern us. Our general stance on piracy remains neutral, but fewer people damaging the Kodi name is a good thing.

Here’s the reality: if your mates are spending hundreds on something per year, and you can get it for free – If it looks too good to be true – yeah, it probably is too good to be true. You make your own choices.

We are happy and sad at same time to announce that this will be the last v17.6 release. When we say very last this of course only means for the v17 “Krypton” series as we are steadily heading towards the new v18 series called “Leia”. For about a year already our developers have been working on the upcoming v18 release and have been backporting all fixes we deemed safe enough to v17 series. However with all good things there has to come a time to say enough is enough and that moment has come. From our point of view “Krypton” has been a great release and our group has spend a lot of time improving it since it’s initial release on 5 February 2017. It has also been one of the series where we did things a bit different with continues nightly versions for testing and quite a lot point releases with only minor fixes just because we could.

We are certainly excited about our upcoming v18 on which we will start reporting at regular basis quite soon but until that time here’s the v17.6 “Krypton” version for daily use. We recommend every one to upgrade to this version once it’s available for their platform to have the best experience possible. If you want to know what has changed you can browse the list below.

Fixes done in this release:

Fix possible crash in crontroller dialog

Update standard scrapers to lastest version available on release

Fix possible connection issues with internal webserver

Fix crash when peripheral joystick add-on is disabled

What else is new?

In the bugfix releases we never include any new features. They are as feature complete as the initial version with the difference is they contain stability and usability fixes. If you are curious you can read up on all the v17 changes here: Kodi v17.0 “Krypton”

Where can I download Kodi?

As alway you can find the official builds on our download page. Then click on the platform of choice and select the build you need. You can install these build just on top of your current Kodi installation without doing a reinstall or cleanup as we do a full migration if needed. All you add-ons or installed skin will keep working.

For Android devices not connected to Play Store you can install the following add-on from our repo (listed under programs) which will make the upgrading easier stright from the Kodi interface: Kodi Android Installer

Apparel, donations or getting involved

Getting involved is quite easy. We encourage you to report problems with these builds on our forum first and after that, if asked, submit bugs on Trac (following this guide: How to submit a bug report). Do note that we need detailed information so we can investigate the issue. We also appreciate providing support in our Forums where you can. You can of course also follow or help promote Kodi on all available social networks. Read more on the get involved page. We are always happy to receive a donation by which you show your support and appreciation, and t-shirts and Raspberry Pi cases may still be found on the sidebar for purchase. All donations and other income goes towards the XBMC foundation and are typically used for travel to attend conferences, any necessary paperwork and legal fees, purchasing necessary hardware and licenses for developers and hopefully the yearly XBMC Foundation Developers Conference.